The thing is, in another 30 years those industries will about as relevant as a horseshoe maker now Especially movies with the advent of photo realistic procedural actors and voice would become so cheap to make there'd be a million of them per year. And more and more e-book publishers spring up with fair prices. Over time, these things will change as they always do.

Cutter wrote on Aug 12, 2012, 16:14:Why are ebooks so damn expensive? Seriously.

They were cheap until about a year and a half ago when Apple decided to price fix with the publishers (google agency model ebook for more). Now a lot of books I bought for $8-12 are up at $16-20, the ebooks are often more than the hardcovers for fucks sake. All because the publishers are pissed at Amazon for beating them to the market and supposedly devaluing ebooks by selling them at reasonable prices.

One can only hope that this only precipitates the downfall of the major book publishers, who exhibit cartel-like behavior in ways the music and film industries could only dream of.

From your lips...

The middle-man/agency model of business is failing wherever digital products are supplanting physical ones (RIAA, MPAA, eBooks, et al.). You'd think that the middlemen would begin to see the writing on the wall and start innovating. But, no... I guess it is easier to buy a few Congressmen to rewrite the laws for you...

Cutter wrote on Aug 12, 2012, 16:14:Why are ebooks so damn expensive? Seriously.

They were cheap until about a year and a half ago when Apple decided to price fix with the publishers (google agency model ebook for more). Now a lot of books I bought for $8-12 are up at $16-20, the ebooks are often more than the hardcovers for fucks sake. All because the publishers are pissed at Amazon for beating them to the market and supposedly devaluing ebooks by selling them at reasonable prices.

One can only hope that this only precipitates the downfall of the major book publishers, who exhibit cartel-like behavior in ways the music and film industries could only dream of.

I'd rather it precipitates the down fall of Apple, who makes even Microsoft blush with the amount of shady douchbagery they display on a regular basis.

Cutter wrote on Aug 12, 2012, 16:14:Why are ebooks so damn expensive? Seriously.

They were cheap until about a year and a half ago when Apple decided to price fix with the publishers (google agency model ebook for more). Now a lot of books I bought for $8-12 are up at $16-20, the ebooks are often more than the hardcovers for fucks sake. All because the publishers are pissed at Amazon for beating them to the market and supposedly devaluing ebooks by selling them at reasonable prices.

One can only hope that this only precipitates the downfall of the major book publishers, who exhibit cartel-like behavior in ways the music and film industries could only dream of.

Cutter wrote on Aug 12, 2012, 16:14:Why are ebooks so damn expensive? Seriously.

They were cheap until about a year and a half ago when Apple decided to price fix with the publishers (google agency model ebook for more). Now a lot of books I bought for $8-12 are up at $16-20, the ebooks are often more than the hardcovers for fucks sake. All because the publishers are pissed at Amazon for beating them to the market and supposedly devaluing ebooks by selling them at reasonable prices.